"This meal is just... I believe 'delicious' is an understatement." Aoi set down her teacup, radiating an aura of effortless elegance.
"Thanks! It’s been a while since I really got to pour all my skills into a full course," my sister said, flashing a bright, proud smile.
We were all gathered around the dining table to 'officially' celebrate our new sibling, feasting on the extravagant spread Himari had prepared. I didn't know the first thing about cooking, but even I knew this wasn't just standard home-cooking.
"So, how is it, Onii-chan?" Himari asked, turning her sharp gaze toward me.
"Hm? It's good, as always," I replied nonchalantly. What else was I supposed to say?
"...Couldn't you have given me a better answer?"
"What kind of answer were you expecting?"
"I don't know? Amazing? Extraordinary? Supernaturally out of this universe?"
"This food is amazing, extraordinary, and very supernaturally out of this universe."
"You literally just repeated what I said word for word! Unforgivable!" ...What does this girl even want? "But you spiced it up with a 'very', so I forgive you!" ...What is wrong with this girl?
"Fufu," Aoi giggled lightly, covering her mouth. "You two are quite funny. Whatever you do seems to brighten the room, it's very pleasant to taste. I don't think I'll ever get tired of it. It gives me such peace of mind."
Aoi took another measured sip of her tea before her expression shifted, turning slightly serious.
"Though, as much as I'd love to ignore it, the two of you have probably noticed by now... our parents aren't exactly sharing that same state of peace."
Right now, there were only three family members at the table. It still felt surreal to think of her that way, but I knew I’d have to accept her as part of the family sooner or later.
"Believe me when I say I have no ill will toward them. And don't worry, I won't be here forever," she murmured, glancing off to the side for a brief second.
"Anyway, since I am living here now, let me say it out of basic courtesy: please take care of me from here on out," Aoi said, offering a polite, shallow bow.
"I don't want to make you uncomfortable, though. Do either of you have any issues with our current living arrangement? If there's anything you'd like to say, please tell me. I'll do my best to make your life better."
"...Don't you mean our lives? Since you're part of this family now."
"Ah, right. Sorry. I'm actually quite nervous myself. After all, it's been a season full of surprises. I never would have guessed I had siblings, especially siblings as delightful as you two," she said, flashing that warm, angelic smile.
Judging by her behavior so far, being nervous was the absolute last thing she was feeling. Still, considering everything she’d said, maybe she wasn't so bad after all.
"Regardless, watching a funny sister and a handsome brother trade antics is going to be endlessly entertaining. I certainly have plenty to look forward to."
Scratch that. She was weird as hell.
"H—handsome?" My sister froze, latching onto the word immediately.
"Hm? Yes? Himari-chan, are you honestly not aware that your brother is quite handsome?"
"I—I mean, I don't think he's that handsome! But he's not entirely terrible-looking either, I suppose. If he just had a tiny bit of fashion sense and knew how to dress himself, maybe he could look a little more presentable, but still-wait, why are we talking about this?!"
"I don't know. I'm just surprised you're taking such an intimate inventory of your brother's appearance. You must care about him quite a bit, don't you? In a normal sisterly way, of course," she smiled innocently.
"I—uh... um..."
"Ah, I made you nervous again, didn't I? I'm sorry."
"N-no, it's fine! You didn't say anything bad."
"If it makes you feel any better, I consider you very beautiful as well, Himari-chan."
"Oh? Thank you."
"And not just beautiful—talented, too." Aoi raised a hand, pointing gracefully toward our nearly empty plates. "You have a genuine gift for cooking."
"Haha, thanks."
"Aren't you proud of your sister, Onii-chan?" Aoi had started calling me Onii-chan, too. It felt bizarrely out of place, but I couldn't exactly stop her.
Umuuuu— Himari started puffing out her cheeks in a sudden fit of pouting. There was no competition here, dear sister, please calm down.
"Well, I am proud of her, but I don't think you can just call this simply as talent," I said.
"Oh?"
"What?! Onii-chan, are you saying I'm as talentless like you?!" What do you mean, "like you", you ungrateful sister!
"Look" I said, waving away Himari's desperate attempts to interrupt. "Talent is too convenient a word. At first, she couldn't even cook to save her own life. If I'm being entirely honest, her early dishes were genuinely horrendous."
"Hey!" Himari protested, completely ignored.
"But eventually, she started improving bit by bit. If nothing else, it's her own sheer, unyielding effort that brought her here. I mean... if she had stopped even once during those years, who knows what we'd be eating tonight."
I could still vividly remember those years, her frustrated tears after every failed recipe. She had every reason and every opportunity to quit, but she never did. Not once.
Himari stared at me for a long moment before abruptly looking away, her cheeks flushing.
"Oh, that's quite wonderful," Aoi murmured, resting her chin on her hand. "If you don't mind me asking, Himari-chan, what drove you to push through all of that?"
"...Haha, I wonder."
"I might not have the refined taste buds to fully appreciate common food, but I know for a fact what you've made here is beyond common."
"...Is that a compliment?" my sister asked cautiously.
"It is."
It is?
"Um... thanks."
"With a skill like this, you could go anywhere and become anything you want. Humanity has always been utterly captivated by good food, after all. You could be a professional chef, or better yet... a wonderful wife. Don't you agree, Onii-chan?"
Aoi slowly turned her gaze toward me, her eyes glinting in the warm light.
Why are you asking me that? What am I even supposed to say to that?! I kept my mouth shut.
"Hm? Onii-chan? Am I wrong to say your sister would make a fantastic wife?"
Why did she have to put so much emphasis on 'fantastic' now?!
"Sigh... yes. She'd make a great wife."
"I knew it. You're a lucky man, Onii-chan, getting to enjoy all of this before she eventually has to share her cooking with whoever she marries in the future."
"Huh?"
"You do know she's going to get married someday, don't you? Surely you realize that one day, she won't be cooking exclusively for you in this house. You won't be her top priority anymore, because she'll have a family of her own to look after."
Aoi rested her cheek against her palm, tilting her head.
"I certainly hope you've started learning how to cook for yourself by then... Haha, I'm only teasing! Still, that future is bound to happen sooner or later, don't you agree? Or is that a thought you've deliberately kept out of your mind?"
It wasn't something I had ever really dwelt on. But of course, she was a normal girl like any other. Sooner or later, some guy was going to take her hand in marriage.
"Of course she will... it's bound to happen," I muttered. Why did those simple words feel so heavy to force out?
"You say that like you're having a terribly difficult time accepting it. Is there some kind of problem if she gets married?"
"N-no, of course not."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes!"
A heavy, suffocating silence settled over the table after my outburst. Himari just stared at me, her expression unreadable.
"...Of course. I mean, isn't that just the natural... choice?" I mumbled defensively, as if trying to shield myself from a truth I didn't want to understand.
"Hmmm, I wonder?" Aoi simply smiled, picking up her teacup to take another leisurely sip.
"...Sorry, I'm going to bed early." Himari stood up abruptly.
"H—Himari?" She didn't look back as she hurried up the stairs toward her room.
"Oh my? Did I say something wrong?" Aoi asked innocently, still enjoying her tea.
"N-no, you didn't... everything you said was right. None of it was wrong."
She wasn't wrong.
So then... why did everything feel so fundamentally wrong?
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